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Comparing the candidates: 1924 and today

Scholastic has been helping kids make sense of their world since its founding. (The company began as a single classroom magazine called The Western Pennsylvania Scholastic!)

Since 1940, Scholastic News has held a student vote every election cycle (check out the 2016 results here!), but even as far back as 1924, we've been laying out the issues surrounding each national election, so that kids could be informed about important concerns of the day.

We dug up a comparison of the Republican, Democratic and Progressive party platforms from 1924, published by The Scholastic, and thought it would be fun to compare them with Scholastic News's "Where They Stand" profile of Hillary Clinton (D) and Donald Trump (R) in 2016.

A little hazy on the 1924 election details?

In a nutshell, the 29th President of the United States, Warren Harding, died in office in 1923. His vice president, Calvin Coolidge, served the rest of his term. The 1924 election pitted the Calvin Coolidge (R) against John W. Davis (D), and a 3rd-party Progressive Party candidate, Robert M. La Follette.

Coolidge won (though La Follette took 16% of the popular vote!). Also important to note: this election was the first time Native Americans were allowed to vote as U.S. citizens.

First, the 1924 candidates:

1924 Republicans were concerned with upholding the World Court (which was connected with the League of Nations, a precursor to the United Nations), wealth, the draft in wartime, and the federal economy.

1924 Democrats called for arms reduction "on land and sea," and "world unity."

The republicans and democrats' platforms shared several points in common

Common causes included: respect for the Constitution, a general stance against federal control of the states, conservation of natural resources and the environment, care of veterans, and transportation (such as the railroad).

(The Progressive platform was quite colorful and emphatic, demanding "Ratification of Child Labor Amendement and Use of Federal Power to Crush Monopoly.")

The 2016 Election

Some would argue that the two major parties have fewer points of similarity in their candidates' platforms. This infographic shows that Clinton and Trump differ on every level.

It is interesting to note the issues that have remained national concerns from 1924 to today, though: national security and international relations, the environment, and the economy.